CLIO Kill Cover Airwear Protexture Foundation has an ultra light skin-perfecting fluid that is said to be the 1st-of-its-kind mineral foundation and skincare serum in one. CLIO’s exclusive Air Touch Technology promises an ultra soft, airy touch as it glides onto skin perfectly. Infused with 43% essence and a blend of velvet polymer ingredients, it feels more like a lightweight serum than makeup. It is so light, it blends seamlessly like a second skin.

This CLIO serum fluid foundation gives my skin a radiant and healthy glow. The moisture capture formula provides abundant moisture that helps reduce the fine lines on the back of my hand. The unique mineral pigments have a lifting effect while covering imperfections and visibly erasing signs of tiredness.

Kill Cover Airwear Protexture Foundation comes with a unique flat top brush – with a hole in the middle – which you can pour a few drops of the foundation into it and then apply it onto the face. However, the foundation is pretty runny that it sinks to the bottom of the brush head immediately.

Ever heard of Althea Korea, a premier online beauty store where you can get your favourite K-Beauty products at great prices? If you a bargain hunter like me and is a fan of Korean makeup/skincare, you should waste no time and go check them out.

Who’s Althea Korea

Thanks to the Korean Wave (known as “Hallyu” or 한류in Korean), people all around the world are crazy about Korean entertainment, dramas, cultures, food and even Korean skincare and makeups.

However, we all know that buying Korean makeups and skincare here isn’t exactly as cheap as it would be in Korea itself.

Hence, Althea was founded in June 2015 to bridge authentic K-Beauty to us here in South East Asia. It prides itself as a one-stop shopping destination where their consumers can enjoy comprehensive authentic K-Beauty products (think Laneige, Innisfree, Etude House, IOPE, Missha, VDL, 3CE etc etc) at the lowest possible price, and have their items delivered right up to their doorsteps.

What singles out Althea Korea from the rest of the online stores?

Besides their Free Delivery (for order above S$50), Best Price Policy and 30-day Unconditional Refund/Returns, Althea also has Authenticity Guarantee on their products to assure their customers that all products are personally handpicked and purchased directly from brand owners and reputable suppliers. This not only ensures the authenticity of the products but the quality as well.

If any of their products is confirmed to be non-authentic, Althea will honour a return at any time and refund 200% of the purchase value.

After you have made your purchase and received your limited edition birthday box with DIY party kit, post a picture of your haul with the DIY party kit and wish Althea “Happy Birthday” with hashtag #altheaturns1 and stand a chance to win amazing prizes such as Macbook Air, Ipad Air 2, iPhone 6S, Galaxy S6 Edge, Canon EOS M10 Selfie Camera, Althea credits and beauty hampers from Althea!

I have just shopped at Althea Korea earlier today (OMG lots of discounts and promotions going on and their prices are much cheaper than retail!) and will share my K-Beauty haul on Instagram once I receive my parcel. If you wanna know what I bought, follow me on Instagram for more updates!

Hop on now to Althea Korea and celebrate their 1st birthday with them.HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALTHEA KOREA!

PS: You can sign up via this link and get S$25 credit in your account. Happy shopping!

It’s mid of the year now and the weather has turned really burning hot lately. I’m so afraid of sun damage hence I will make sure to apply sunscreen on my face, neck and even my upper eyelid before I ever leave the house. It is one skincare product I can’t leave without whether if it’s rain or shine.

When it comes to rating sunscreens, there are two things I will look out for – it has to contain potent UVA sunscreen ingredients and also with high PA rating. I’m always on the lookout for good sunscreen products and I have recently found one.

Quite a while ago, I’ve received the PCA Skin Active Broad Spectrum SPF 45 and I was delighted to give it a try.

PCA Skin, founded by an aesthetician in 1990, is a product line that is only available at doctor’s office in Singapore. I’m pleased to learn that every PCA Skin’s SPF-rated product actually provides reliable broad-spectrum sun protection. I got to know about this brand at an aesthetics practitioner’s office many years ago. The first PCA Skin product I’ve tested is PCA Skin ExLinea Peptide Smoothing Serum, click HERE to read my review.

Are you in your 40s, experience blurry visions, or having difficulties reading small fonts and/or having to hold your reading materials or mobile phones at arm’s length in order to see clearly? If so, you might be suffering from the onset of presbyopia, or what we Chinese known as “lao hua yan (老花眼)”.

What is Presbyopia?

Presbyopia is an age-related condition associated with a loss of elasticity of the lens inside the eye, which results in a reduced ability to see near distances.

It occurs gradually and naturally to everyone above the age of 40, even to those who have undergone LASIK surgeries for myopia before the onset of Presbyopia.

People with Presbyopia struggle with performing the simplest of tasks, some of which include difficulty in reading fine print, strained eyes and headaches after focusing on near objects for prolonged periods, and the need to hold reading material at an arm’s distance to focus properly.

Wait, but I’m still in my 30s?! How is it that I could be suffering from Presbyopia? Unfortunately, getting presbyopia at an earlier age is no longer uncommon these days, probably due to our extensive use of computers and other digital devices.

Earlier in April, I had the opportunity to attend the media launch of 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST® Brand MULTIFOCAL contact lenses and meet Queen of Caldecott Hill and brand ambassador, Zoe Tay.

Upon checking the items, my usual next move was to check out the ingredients. Spotted alcohol on all of the products. It’s one of the ingredients I’m not really comfortable with. The alcohol scent is dull even though it is listed under one of the top five ingredients (for three of them).

Alcohol is claimed to help other ingredients such as vitamin C penetrate our skin more effectively. EXCIA Whitening External Stem Nova Cream actually contains Ascorbyl Glucoside. It is known as a form of vitamin C that has the antioxidant or skin-lightening properties.

Alcohol is good for the product, but maybe bad for our skin. Probably, we might expect dry, irritated skin if we use a cosmetic product with alcohol.

I noticed many of my peers love using skincare products that contain alcohol, one of their favorites is Lancome Genifique. They seem to have no issue with it so far.

Clarins White Plus All Spots Brightening Corrector contains Salicylic acid that helps to reduce dark spots by encouraging the elimination of dead cells full of melanin. This easy to use roll-on, with a targeted application, has an extra-concentrated formula to combat pigmentation. It contains high molecular weight (HMW) hyaluronic acid that improves skin hydration for up to 94% after 2 hours of use. I normally use it on the targeted area around the cheekbone. However it doesn’t prevent the new formation of pigmentation on my skin.

I’ve just finished the last bit of this SK-II Skin Signature Eye Cream. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued and it is now replaced with the new StemPower Eye Cream. Just bought the new StemPower Eye Cream and hope to review it soon.

4. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence is one of my must-have and my current most favorite skincare product. I’ve been using it, faithfully every night, for the past two years. Previously, I only use it as and when I feel like it. It is said that there’s an intrinsic link between long-term usage of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence and better skin quality as we age.

Research showed that 9 in 10 loyal users have better skin compared to non-users in the same age group, with 7 in 10 users having better skin conditions as compared to non-users who are 10 years younger. I must say it does help to maintain my skin youthfulness. This is one product I can’t leave without at the moment! Read more about my amazing results with SK-II Facial Treatment. <grinning>

5. SK-II Cellumination Mask-In Lotion

SK-II Cellumination Mask-In Lotion is the first step of my skincare regimen every night. It acts as a double cleansing process to help cleanse away the residue and dirt that my cleanser has missed. It also helps to exfoliate my skin whenever I rub the soaked cotton pad with lotion on my face. Love the unique emollient silky texture that glides on the skin easily. My skin feels soft, smooth and clean upon using it.

When I first started working, I was constantly plagued by skin woes and they persisted over the years– pigmentation (freckles), blackheads, clogged pores, pimples/acne, u name it, I had it.

But ever since I went for my first laser treatment at an aesthetic clinic, it proved to be the best decision I’ve ever made and I never looked back. The freckles on my face which I hated all my life since I was a child were gone and the rest of the skin blemishes also began to diminish after I started going for aesthetic laser treatments.

From then on, I put all my faith and trust on aesthetic laser treatments. There are so many aesthetic lasers out there that can do wonders, and they always outdo each other by coming out with newer, better lasers with breakthrough technologies.

Early this year, I was invited to a media launch for the FIRST PicoSure laser in Singapore, available only at Dr Joseph Yang’s Aesthetics and Medical Clinic in Wisma Atria, and also had the opportunity to try out this phenomenal laser. Why do I call it “phenomenal laser”? Read on to find out…

Early this year, I was pleased to be invited by Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmetique to uncover their dermo-cosmetic products at their Shenton Way office. Founded in the early 1960s by Pierre Fabre (a pharmacist at Castres, France), the Pierre Fabre Group is French company with activities in the OTC, prescription drugs and Dermo-Cosmetics. Pierre Fabre is 3rd largest French pharmaceutical group with over 10,000 employees worldwide.

Pierre Fabre distributes some of the most famous dermo-cosmetic brands in Singapore, such as Eau Thermale Avene (skincare) which is the No.1 dermo-cosmetic brand distributed in drugstore in Singapore as well as brands such as Rene Furterer (premium haircare), Klorane (family haircare), A-Derma (Skincare) and Elancyl (Body and slimming Care).

Here’s what I’ve received upon the meetup.

Eau Thermale Avene, claimed as the No.1 brand in France, is originated in Avène, France, after a thermal spring was found in its vicinities. A thermal spring facility was built soon after that to treat patients with burns, eczema, and psoriasis.

Avène Hydrotherapy Center is purchased by Pierre Fabre Laboratories (the 2nd largest private pharmaceutical company in France today).

EAU THERMALE Avène Water is a natural thermal spring water originating deep in the earth and having a consistent composition. After a long journey, it emerges clear and pure to be collected and channelled towards the hydrotherapy center and the production center, where the EAU THERMALE Avène Dermatological Laboratories care products are manufactured. Located at heart of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park, the EAU THERMALE Avène Hydrotherapy Center opens its doors from April to October each year to offer daily hydrotherapy treatments for adults, children and infants (starting at 3 months old).

Asians are well known for their constant quest for fairer, brighter skin. Look at the Koreans and Japanese, won’t you be envious of their porcelain, flawless skin?

Thanks to its 20 years’ of knowledge of Asian skin and its philosophy of listening to women, Clarins is now making advances in whitening expertise with a new and improved whitening care.

Since the launch of its first whitening skincare in 1996, Clarins Research has already acquired in-depth expertise in melanocyte, the only cell that produces melanin responsible for skin pigmentation.

For the launch of this new serum, Clarins Research worked for several years in collaboration with the Institute Curie (one of the largest biological research centre in France), and made an unprecedented major scientific discovery – identification of a new cause of hyperpigmentation through the MELA EXO SYSTEM, which involves exosomes which carry protein messengers that trigger pigmentation.

So in late November last year, I was invited to Clarins Brightening Academy Masterclass + Preview Launch for this NEW White Plus Tri-Intensive Brightening Serum at ION Sky, ION Orchard.

During the Masterclass, the trainer shared that external factors such as UV exposure, hormonal changes or even a skin injury could have a direct impact on melanocytes, causing them to overproduce melanin (pigments) and resulting in unsightly pigmentation marks.

Fast-forward and sparing my readers all the scientific details, another breakthrough by Clarins Laboratories is that they have isolated and identified the precious benefits of a “whitening-in-control” plant extract from the Acerolafruit (commonly known as the “red cherries“).

Clarins Research has identified the ability of Acerola fruit extract to regulate the MELA EXO SYSTEMand its power to prevent melanin overproduction by -24.5% when the skin is subjected to external aggressions such as UV exposure.

In addition to Acerola fruit extract’s performance, the extract from the Acerola seed also helps to enhance cell oxygenation by +18%, an additional benefit to boost the skin’s radiance and translucency.

The Acerolaextract selected by Clarins Research team comes from Acerola grown in the Northeastern region of Brazil, a semi-arid belt with a warm, dry climate. The Acerola fruits are harvested semi-ripe before they turn red to optimize and ensure a maximum level of active ingredients. The extraction is carried out on the fresh fruit, which is harvested early in the day to preserve its content of active ingredients (to avoid its destruction by UV and the heat from the sun) and stabilized by immediately freezing upon harvest.

The Acerola fruit and seed extracts combined with whitening plant extracts (which include Lady’s Mantle and Sandspurry extracts) with renowned skin-translucency properties, this Tri-Intensive Brightening Serum helps to preserve the three elements (I would call it the 3 “Cs”) of even and translucent skin, namely: